Evolution of the heterogeneous structure of model sodium silicate glasses during binodal decomposition: X-ray small-angle scattering investigation

The kinetics of binodal decomposition in model glasses of the Na$_2$O–SiO$_2$ system from the initial stage to the stage of the Ostwald ripening inclusive has been investigated in situ. It has been found that the spatial-temporal evolution of the heterogeneous structure during binodal decomposition has a multistage character. The characteristic size of the phase regions at each stage of the binodal decomposition varies with time according to the power law $L\sim t^{\beta}$. The values of exponents $\beta$ for different stages of the binodal decomposition are as follows: 1/20 (fluctuation stage), 1/2 (growth stage), 0 (transient stage), and 1/3 (Ostwald ripening stage). The particle size distributions for all stages of the binodal decomposition have been presented.